When is tom cleverley fit

A midfield diamond could be an outlet for a change in Cleverley's game that would incorporate both Westwood and Cleverley. This formation has experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent months and would allow Lambert to play all four of his central midfielders together. Using a similar structure to Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool and recent displays by the English national team, Lambert could use Sanchez at the base of the diamond with Delph positioned left, Westwood on the right side and Cleverley at the top of the diamond, just behind a pair of strikers.

However, such a formation would ask Cleverley to play an advanced role as the team's chief playmaker and chance creator. Expecting so much of Cleverley, who has not previously displayed the necessary creativity and fearlessness to be successful as a no.

Ruling out Cleverley's abilities to play a creative role before he has ever played a match for Villa could be overly cynical. Cleverley has been highly praised by the likes of Roberto Martinez and Sir Alex Ferguson in the past, suggesting that there is more to him than was seen during his time at Old Trafford.

Nonetheless, based on the evidence available, throwing Cleverley into a dynamic, no. Cleverley's addition to the squad was a worthwhile move that will benefit Villa this season, but he may not have the instant impact that many fans will be hoping for.

Enjoy our content? Join our newsletter to get the latest in sports news delivered straight to your inbox! Your sports. Join Newsletter. Everton's Martinez declares Cleverley 'fully fit'. Harry Kane's England hat-trick a timely reminder of what the striker can do. Kid escapes fine for Ronaldo pitch invasion.

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If Cleverley is indeed a No10, he is not the sort whose imagination is likely to take your breath away. He is quick and neat and he has a good vision of the game, but last night he showed the sort of readiness to hustle his way into the game that would have pleased Alf Ramsey. When England lost the ball he did his share of pressing from the front.

His alertness was in evidence as early as the third minute, when he was lurking inside the Moldovan penalty area to meet James Milner's low cross from the right with a shot that hit Simeon Bulgaru's hand from close range. The penalty award was a little harsh but it gave Frank Lampard the chance to set England on their way.

There were other useful touches from Cleverley, notably a back-headed flick that almost sent Jermain Defoe in on goal, and on the half-hour, shortly after Lampard had doubled England's lead with a header from Glen Johnson's diagonal ball, he stabbed a low shot just wide of the post from 25 yards out.

Not surprisingly, Moldova were unable to provide England with much more than a reasonable work-out before Tuesday's more challenging encounter with Ukraine at Wembley. When Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain dismantled the entire left flank of the home defence by exchanging passes with Milner before moving forward and angling a short pass that invited Defoe to put England three up, the evening had the air of a training-ground exercise.

With a little more coolness in front of goal from Defoe, and from Cleverley as he scooped a shot over the bar from Milner's pass, England might have doubled their score by half-time.